HISTORY OF DEV

August 13, 1996

Internet Explorer 3.0 released

MicrosoftThe software giant behind Windows, Office, Azure, and Xbox — founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. shipped Internet ExplorerMicrosoft's long-running web browser — bundled with Windows for decades before Edge replaced it. 3.0 on August 13, 1996 with CSSCascading Style Sheets — the language for layout, color, and typography on web pages., JavaA portable language running on the JVM — dominant in enterprise servers, Android, and big data. applets, ActiveX controls, and its own JavaScript implementation (JScript).

What it was for

IEInternet Explorer — Microsoft's browser that dominated the web in the 1990s and 2000s. 3 was MicrosoftThe software giant behind Windows, Office, Azure, and Xbox — founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.'s first browser that could credibly compete with NetscapeA commercial web browser company — Navigator defined the early consumer web. on features — and it was free for all Windows users. CSSCascading Style Sheets — the language for layout, color, and typography on web pages. support let sites separate layout from content; ActiveX tied the web tightly to Windows, foreshadowing years of compatibility headaches.

Companies

  • Microsoft

Why it's here

IEInternet Explorer — Microsoft's browser that dominated the web in the 1990s and 2000s. 3 closed the feature gap and escalated the browser wars into a standards fight.

Why it mattered

It brought CSSCascading Style Sheets — the language for layout, color, and typography on web pages. and scripting to MicrosoftThe software giant behind Windows, Office, Azure, and Xbox — founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen.'s massive Windows install base.

What it solved

NetscapeA commercial web browser company — Navigator defined the early consumer web. dominated the web; MicrosoftThe software giant behind Windows, Office, Azure, and Xbox — founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. needed a free, capable browser to keep Windows central to the internet.

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